Hunger Eternal
by The Immortal Artist
Summary: Naruto is chased by a mob and ends up in the sewer system beneath Konoha, with no help on the way, how will naruto survive? By embracing the Hunger Eternal. Dark!Naruto, slightly AU, Parings undecided.
1. Prologue

A/N: Naruto is the property of Musashi Kishimoto and T.V. Tokyo, not me if I did own him, the main character would change every few episode and his strengths and weaknesses would change every five minutes, good thing he's not mine.

Anyway, this is my first Fan-Fic, so be sure to tell me what you think, I'm planning on making this a very long Fic, just so you know, It will take quite a long time to finish. I will update as regularly as I can. Just so no one has any questions later, this is a Dark!Naruto Fic. I have not yet decided on who to pair him with and I am open to suggestions along with reasons why you think they are the right choice. Hpwever, there are a few rules.

1. No demanding. This is my fic so I make the ultimate decision.

2. This is not a Yaoi Fan-Fic. I don't have any problems with yaoi, but this particular fic is not ment to be yaoi. Got it? Okay, on with the story then.

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A young blonde boy was running down the streets of Konoha, fervently wishing that the people chasing him would just go away. The boy was around 7 years old, dressed in what could barely be called rags, and had such a prominent bone structure that one could only wonder if this kid ate at all. His blonde hair was matted and his face dirty. In short, he likely lived on the streets, just a homeless urchin that the world had so carelessly forgotten. There was just one small problem; the world had not forgotten him…not by a long short. No, the world remembered to make his life even more miserable on a daily basis. Between being kicked out of the orphanage, denied food and clothing, and the beatings he received on at least a twice weekly basis, the world had done everything short of forgetting this child.

Today is October 10th, the day that Konoha celebrates the courageous sacrifice of their beloved leader seven years ago. On this day, the village celebrates the defeat of the "Kyuubi No Kitsune" or the Nine tailed Fox. Most importantly, on this day, the village takes out every scrap of their rage on this seven year old boy. Each year it got worse and worse, until this very night in where we see a mob chasing him down an alleyway that they know is a dead end. As the child realizes that he is trapped, he turns to face his chasers, tears streaming down his terrified face. As the crowd steadily advances on the boy, their grips tightening on the makeshift weapons, ranging from farm tools to crude swords, the boys franticly backs against the wall that denied him freedom.

"We've got you now Demon, there is no way out."

Sobbing the boys responds, "Why are you doing this? I'm N-n-not a D-demon."

"You killed my wife demon! Now we're gonna finish what the Yondaime started!"

With that, the crowd began to advance once more one the boy. Now panicking, he once again searches for a way out of the alley. His eyes fall upon an open sewer grating, just big enough for him to slip through…maybe. Not even thinking about the ramifications of his actions, the young boy ran to the grating and slid through head first. Perhaps if he'd had time to fit though carefully, he might not have cut his leg on the dirty sewer entrance, but when a mob if after you, your choices are limited. So the boy fell into the sewer sludge with and open wound on his leg. The boy knew it would become infected if he didn't make it to the hospital soon. As he crawled out of the slime onto a walkway, amidst the shouts from above, he began to feel very tired. So, crawling away into a corner, the boy fell into a feverish sleep.

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The Hokage was not having a good day. After spending hours catching up on paperwork he was supposed to do weeks ago, the elderly leader decided to go visit Naruto, whom he hadn't seen in close to two years. He hoped that someone had finally adopted the poor boy, but at least he was safe at the orphanage. Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage, was not pleased when he found out that Naruto was not at the orphanage, and hadn't been there for just shy of 18 months(1). When enquired to the matron about why she had allowed her charge to live on the streets, she responded in a most interesting manner.

"It's not MY responsibility to care for a demon like th-"

-SMACK-

She was never allowed to finish her sentence as she was flung into a wall breaking both her and the wall. Sarutobi was furious with the woman, never had the thought of killing a citizen crossed his mind before, but now it was an overpowering instinct. Before he did something that he would regret…eventually, he called for a little back-up.

"Anbu"

The word was barely whispered, but no sooner had the last syllable left his lips, than two cloaked figures were kneeling before him.

"Hokage-Sama, your wishes?

"Take this…woman to Ibiki; tell him I want to know where Naruto is and that he has NO restrictions on how he is to acquire this information." The elderly Hokage growled.

"At once Hokage-Sama"

Sarutobi left the Anbu to deal the woman as he returned to his office, determined not to let Naruto suffer. He would find Naruto and give him a home if he had to adopt the boy himself. The council would no longer stop him from helping the boy.

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The council was in an uproar. It had been two days since Sarutobi had come to them to inform them that Naruto was missing, and they had been arguing ever since. The argument was split into three groups. The first group was intent on declaring the child dead and moving on, the second wanted to declare the child a deserter and send a squad out to kill him, and the third proposed a search and rescue. At the moment, the first two sides were winning.

"The little demon is dead and out of our lives, we need to keep it that way!"

"Have you lost your mind Haruno? That thing is the perfect weapon! If another village gets their hands on it, they could destroy us! It needs to die before it can get far."

"Try and hurt the pup Danzo, and I'll throw your sorry ass into my kennels and feed you to my dogs."

Sarutobi had had enough of this nonsense; none of this arguing was getting him any closer to finding Naruto. So, with the dignity and might of the Hokage, he slammed his fist onto his desk, shattering it into peaces.

"SILANCE!"

For the first time in days, even years, the council grew still. Every eye turned as one to the Hokage. When he knew that he had their attention, he began to speak.

"It seems I was mistaken in allowing the council to gain a few liberties over the years since I was reappointed. This was my error and I realize that even in my old age, I am the only one who can run things in an orderly manner. As such, I am rectifying my mistake. I, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Sandaime Hokage, hereby abolish the civilian council. Danzo, Haruno, Homura, Koharu, and the rest of you will now leave.

For the span of three seconds, all was quiet. After the three seconds had expired, all hell broke lose again. The former Civilian Council was once again in an uproar, fortunately, the Hokage could do something this time. So he called the Anbu and had them escorted from the tower. As soon as they were gone, he turned back to the remaining council members, all of them clan heads and other powerful shinobi.

"All in favor of a search and rescue?"

For the first time since his reinstatement, the council spoke as one.

"Aye"

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And there you have it, chapter one is complete. Please leave a review and try not to be a flamer.


	2. The Search is on!

A/N: Naruto is the property of Musashi Kishimoto and T.V. Tokyo, so please support the official release. Got that? Yeah, you'd better…

Hello to all of those who are still bothering to return to my First attempt at a story, I am terribly sorry about the slow release. The rest of my furniture had arrived and I had to unpack it all. Thank you to the two who decided to leave a review.

**Alone Shadow Dream:** As do I, thank you for being the first to review.

**Uzumaki Misaki: **Ah yes, foreshadowing: The act of hinting of future events. I'm glad you noticed that, because it will impact the story quite a bit. If you manage to guess at what's coming, than you get a virtual cookie.

Well, let's get on with the story!

Chapter 2 of Hunger Eternal: Hajime!

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The boy awoke to a foul smell and a vicious throb in his leg. It took him a few minutes for his sleeping mind to piece together what had happened

Opening his eyes, he surveyed his surroundings. It was cold, dark, damp, smelled bad, and he would likely die if he stayed here much longer. All in all, it was not that much different from the alleyways up on the surface. At least here in the sewer, he was not going to be attacked, plus he had a roof over his for the first time since he'd been kicked out of the orphanage. That was the beginning of the downward spiral in an already miserable life. He doubted that he would ever forget that day.

_Flashback_

_The boy stood outside of the building that had been both hell and home for him his entire life. This boy was Naruto Uzumaki, one of many orphans that had lost their parents during the Kyuubi attack six years ago. Although Naruto did not know who his parents were, he had heard many things about them; both good and bad. The Hokage had told him that his parents were brave ninja that volunteered to hold the front lines against the Kyuubi, and that they died before the Yondaime could stop it. On cold nights, when Naruto was unable to fall asleep in the cramped confines of his cupboard, he liked to imagine what his parents would have been like. In these fantasies, his father was a tall man with the same unruly blonde hair that sat upon Naruto's head. His father loved to smile and would always pick Naruto up and throw him into the air before catching him on his way down. He loved dreaming of what he thought his father was; he had even asked the Hokage if his dreams were true, but the old man had sighed and told Naruto that he did not remember. Naruto noticed that he usually dreamed of his father when he was at his happiest, but that was not very often. _

_More often were the times when he cried himself to sleep in frustration and woe. It was times like this where he dreamt of his mother. At first he expected his mother to be similar to his father, but if anything, she was the exact opposite. Where his father's hair was a light blonde, his mother's was jet black. Her face was likewise sharper, and her eyes the color of the midnight sky. Any doubts as to her authenticity as his mother were dispelled._

_The woman had to be his mother, she just had to be. No one else would hold a child like that and sing strange unintelligible song to him until his troubles were gone._

_Besides, she even had the same strange facial tattoo that he did._

_Unfortunately, he had heard other things about his parentage. The matron had once told him that his parents were petty thieves that escaped during the Kyuubi attack and were cut down by the Anbu before they even made it out of the village. Naruto tried not to listen to her and remember what the Hokage had told him. _

_This became harder to do when he stopped coming. _

_For as long as he could remember, the Hokage had always visited him at least once a week and told him stories about all of the things that he'd done in his time as Hokage. These were the best days of Naruto's life not only did he get to spend time with the only person to ever care for him, but on days when the Hokage showed up, the matron would let him take a bath and he would get clean clothes too. When he was dressed, the Hokage would sometimes take him out to dinner at Ichiraku's ramen stand. Yes, those were the best of days._

_Then, one day, he stopped coming. Naruto had waited by the door to the orphanage each day for a month hoping that he would show up, but he never did. Surely the old man would not abandon him too. After the Hokage failed to shop up for an entire month, the matron had thrown Naruto out the front door and told him to not come back. _

_So now he stood in front of the only place he had ever known as home, wishing that the Hokage would come and help him. It took two solid hours of waiting before Naruto realized that no one was coming this time. This time he was alone. So he did the only thing he could do, he walked away and began looking for a new place to sleep._

The boy shook his head furiously in a vain attempt to clear it of memories of the way things were, who he once was. Using the wall to ease himself off his injured leg, which would not support his weight, he limped along the dank walkways looking for someplace warm.

During his search, he came upon a ladder that led to a manhole, the only way back to the land above. Deciding that going back to the surface so soon after escaping from a beating would just give them even more cause to be mad at him, the boy turned and limped down a slightly warmer tunnel.

He barely made it another yard before his only good leg gave out as well. He simply did not have the strength to continue, it had been nearly a week since he'd eaten anything that could be considered food. Surviving off scraps of rotten meats and vegetables was not the kind of diet that gave the boy much protein. He knew that if he managed to find a decent place to sleep he would manage to get better; he always did after he slept for a while. After resting for a few minutes the boy steeled himself and set off in serch of a warm place to rest.

After close to an hour of walking and resting, the boy noticed that the tunnel he was walking down was getting warmer and warmer, until he came to a dead end that positively radiated heat. Deciding that the was likely the best place to stop for a while, the boy curled into a ball, laid his back into the corner and fell into a comfortable sleep. Perhaps his mother would be able to make him feel better, she always had before.

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Sarutobi looked over his trackers, Tsume Inuzuka, her daughter Hana, Shibi Aburame, and Hiashi Hyuga. The best trackers that his village had to offer stood before him waiting for orders. With their incredible sense of smell, the Inuzukas and their canine companions could follow a scent better than a team of bloodhounds. Shibi could literally be all over the village at once with the help of his hive of insects, and Hiashi, with his byakugan, can see in every direction for hundreds of feet and could even see through walls. With them on the case, it wouldn't take long. Clearing his throat, he addressed his trackers.

"The majority of you can already guess why you are here, but for the sake of Hana here, I shall be clear. Three days ago, I stopped by the local orphanage intending to see Naruto. Imagine my surprise to find that Naruto is not there, nor has he been for the past year and a half."

At this point, Sarutobi was interrupted by Hana. "Hokage-Sama, was he adopted? After all that time he's spent in the orphanage, I didn't think anyone would-"

Sarutobi gave a sad chuckle at her question. "No Hana, he was not adopted, but thrown out onto the streets to die." He could barely stomach the words, but he forced them out anyway. "For the past 18 months, Naruto has been living on the streets and I don't even know if he is alive. That is why I have assigned the four of you this mission. You are the only ones who can find him after this long. You are the best trackers this village has to offer, don't let me down, dismissed."

The four ninja left at one and began their search.

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**In an underground bunker, somewhere underneath Konoha**

Danzo, Koharu, and Homura were sitting in what seemed to be a military planning room with several maps lined up along the wall. They detailed everything from the Elemental Nations to a map of Kirigakure. Danzo was seated at the head of the table and was facing his two advisors.

"Sarutobi has thrown quite a wrench in our plans, recommendations?

"Advance plan Delta and increase recruitment?"

"Negative, Sarutobi will notice and we no longer have the pull with the council that we used to. I suggest we activate plan Beta, Sarutobi should be dead by then."

"Hmm...no, we cant risk the boy falling into Sarutobi's hands. If we lose him, all of our plans will be ruined. No, we will push plan Alpha ahead of schedule."

"Lord Danzo, do we have the means to support such an action?"

Danzo folded his hands together and did not speak for a long time. When he finally opened his mouth, he spoke with an air of determination and surety.

"Perhaps not, but if we do not act now, everything that we've worked on for the past seven years, will crumble. We begin in one week. In one week, Sarutobi will be no more, and I will be Hokage."

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Back on the surface the search for Naruto was not going well. Hiashi have already searched the village several times, but couldn't seem to find the boy anywhere. It was as if he has simply disappeared.

Shino had also confirmed his absence from the village, his bugs had combed through the entire village and still there was no sign of the boy.

Tsume and Hana, along with their companions were having different, yet similar results. Naruto's scent was all over the place, mostly in alleyways and gutters, but all the searches were dead ends.

Neither of the Jonnin was looking forward to giving the news of their failed mission to the Hokage, but grudgingly, they trudged back to the Hokage Tower and reported in to their leader.

Tsume decided (read as: drew the shortest straw) to be the one to deliver the bad news.

"Hokage-Sama, we have been through the entire village, but we've seen neither hide, nor hair of the pup. His scent doesn't extend beyond the village, so is seems that he never left. However since we are unable to locate him..."

The obvious implications were not lost on the venerable Hokage. If he never left, but the greatest trackers couldn't find him, then there was no longer a 'him' to find.

"Very well, your mission is canceled, you...you are dismissed."

As soon as the four left the room, Sarutobi sighed and swiveled in his chair to face the window.

"What am I going to do?"

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The boy awoke to a peculiar sensation, one that he could not at first identify. It was like nothing he had ever felt. He decided to do a quick diagnostic to reveal the cause of the sensation. Limbs…check. Digits…check. Cut from rusty metal on thigh, not check. "Wait a minute, not check?"

The boy looked again and sure enough, his leg was uninjured. Hell, so was the rest of him for that matter. That's when the invisible light bulb turned on. He wasn't in any pain. He tried standing up to test his growing theory and sure enough, his limp was gone. His ribs, broken from a villagers boot, were whole. He felt revitalized.

It was then that the child noticed another anomaly; he was no longer in the sewer. He now seemed to be in some kind of cave tunnel.

Figuring that he had no reason to stick around, he set out to explore his new surroundings. The tunnel he was currently walking down was large, maybe large enough to accommodate a fully grown adult, but there were numerous side passages of varying sizes. He would explore those later, but for now he stuck to the main passage.

There were also several small streams built into the wall that looked to stem from the tunnel he was now walking down. The trickle of water branched off into several of the side passages but the boy ignored those too. So intent on reaching the end of this tunnel that he was not even thirsty.

When at last he reached the end, he was shocked to see that the room ended in a giant stone cage. The bars were large enough that he doubted he could wrap his arms around them and clasp his hands together.

There was also a large paper covering several of the bars with some funny writing on it. As he studied the strange cage in the even stranger tunnel, a dry, rasping voice tore through the chamber.

"**So, the host has finally arrived to greet his guest. It's about time; I was beginning to think you'd never show up."**

Startled, the boy looked around.

"Who said that? Where are you?"

A dry, grating laugh, the same as before, filled the room. Then, a pair of glowing red eyes opened from within the cage.

"**Hmm…you're not very bright, even for a mammal. However, it's hard to expect too much from you, given the life you've lived up until now."**

The boy was rooted to the spot from the sheer amount of power that was behind those eyes. Managing to get out a sentence he choked, "Who are you, where am I, and how did we get here?"

The voice laughed again.

"**Do you wish to know who I am? Very well, tell me child, what do you know of the story of the Kyuubi no Kitsune?"**

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**A/N: **and that's likely a good place to stop for now, I know that there are some discrepancies in the text and the cannon, these are intentional. I may have also been a little vague on certain other aspects in my story, these too, are intentional.

Please keep in mind that this is a Fan-Fiction, things will be quite different because of a certain action that took place before the story began.

Also remember the following facts if you would.

This is not a yaoi, there will most likely be some sakura bashing and maybe more than a little sasuke/kakashi bashing, this is a dark Naruto story, there will be darker themes later on, most likely this will not be a harem but I have not discounted the idea of a small one, one last thing, the pairing is undecided but it. Will. Not. Be. Sakura. Got all that? I hope so.

Oh, and by the way, I'm looking to read a certain Fan-Fic I read a while ago, but I can't find it. It took place in the forest of death, and Naruto awakened some kind of bloodline and his skin fell off like a snakes. Anyway, he remained covered in blood during his fight with kiba and he had strange black markings all over him. Anyone know the title of this story? I'd give a sneak preview of the next chapter to the first person that could tell me. Thanks!

Anyway thanks for making it this far into my writing and I hope you were not offended by my quasi rant a moment ago. I hope to see you all again on another installment of…

Hunger Eternal

Signed: The Immortal Artist


	3. Notation

Hello everyone, The Immortal Artist here.

I know that some of you really liked where my story was going, but after writing the next few chapters, my computer died and I'm looking into getting a new one.

But besides that, I found myself unsatisfied with both the directions of my story and what has already been written.

So, I am hereby officially declaring Hunger Eternal discontinued and in progress for a rewrite.

Hunger Eternal will be split into two different stories and both are in progress right now.

I am sorry for the inconvenience, and I really hope you like my newer attempts.

Yours truly, The Immortal Artist


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